"MOST PEOPLE DON'T"

(c)1988, David Humes

Where are you going in your musical career? The last article dealt with life and career direction and how to determine yours. After you have determined where it is that you want to go in your musical career, the next thing to do is what "most people don't".

"Most people don't" plan. "Most people don't" have goals. "Most people don't" succeed. "Most people don't" do much of anything. But we do what "most people don't", so let's begin with planning.

We either spend our time goal achieving or tension relieving. Planning time is a goal achieving activity. As you might have guessed, "most people" fall into the tension-relieving category most of their lives. The percentage of time you spend in each of these categories, will greatly determine the outcome of your life.

When I talk about "most people", I'm referring to the 95%'ers that just "get by" in life. According to Social Security figures, out of every 100 persons in America at age 65, 36 have died, 54 are dead broke, 5 still work because they HAVE to (not because they want to), 4 are financially comfortable and 1 is rich. Your chances for financial failure are 95 to 5 and getting worse. 95%'ers end up broke at age 65, not because they planned to fail, but because they failed to plan.

The less than 5% of the people that do something constructive with their lives, that succeed where "most people don't", spend large amounts of time planning. In fact it's been proven that as planning and thinking time increases, career success and financial prosperity proportionately increases.

The fact that only 5% of the people have specific written goals, and plans to attain those goals, is no coincidence. I'm not suggesting that you stop doing what you're now doing in your career and become a planning fanatic. But ask yourself, "How much time during the past year have I spent planning my career?" Isn't it interesting that "most people" spend more time planning two-week vacations than they do planning their lives!

Take a good look at where you are right now. "What can I do now to prepare me for my success?" Opportunities are waiting for you to be prepared for them.

The first place I recommend starting with in planning for success in your musical career, if you haven't already conquered this major hurdle, is loving yourself. All the hard work, sweat and practice in the world won't attract success to you if you feel you don't deserve it. I mean deep down inside, feeling that you definitely, without a doubt, deserve the success you're seeking.

If you don't have very lofty goals (95%'er), you may not have a problem with this. But if you have un-normally (5%'er) high goals, this may be the biggest hurdle you will ever face in your quest for success.

It seems people have been brainwashed to think it's bad to think that they're great. I'm not talking about being boastful or conceited. Boasting is usually done to mask a feeling of inadequacy, even though the one boasting may or may not be inadequate.

But if you go on stage and think you're not great, everybody in the audience will think the same thing. The people in the audience are mirroring you. It's OK to think you're great, especially when you're performing.

You have to emanate greatness in order to be great. And that emanation comes from within: loving yourself to the point of knowing that you deserve to be great! You can be great without demeaning or "cutting down" other people, too. Truly great people know, only too well, the attitude, planning and work required to attain success. They positively encourage those around them to do what "most people don't".